Method of and apparatus por registering the time when record entries



Aug. 21,- 1923'. 1,465,498

H. L. THOMSON METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING THE TIME WHEN RECORD ENTRIES ARE MADE Filed Dec. 51 192d Kg 67 W 2 77 14 V 1min; 14 F 5' am Km 14 ARM L1.

Patented Aug. 21, 1923. UNITED STATES HARRY L. THOMSON, or

PATENT OFFICE.

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

METHODOF AND APPARATIIS FOR REGISTERING THE TIME W'HEN RECORD ENTRIES ARE Application filed December To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, HARRYL. THOMSON,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of'I-Iartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and Improved Method of and i'ipparatus for Registering the Time When ItecordEntries are Made, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has to do with the'recording of the time when printed, written, or.

similar entries are made, in-such manner record entry. The matter of preserving a record of the time when entries are made is hotel or other registers, telegraph, or other automatic or distance writing machines, time record clocks for factories and oflices, etc., vwatchmens systems, fire and burglar alarm systems, the reading of gas, electric, water,

and other meters, etc. The practicaladvantages of preserving a thoroughly reliable 3 record of the time when such entries are made are well understood by most persons," and, therefore, they need not be pointed. out

here, and many devices for the purpose have heretofore been produced ,with varying degrees of success. Nevertheless a demand exists for a simple and accurate method of registering the time when record entries are made which may conveniently be used in many situations where existing devices cannot be; satisfactorily employed, and to supply this demand is the object of my present-invention. This object I accomplish as illustrated in the drawings and as hereinafter described. What I regard as new is set forth in the claims. f In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated my improved apparatus applied Q to an instrument designed primarily for receiving record entries of gas, electric, or similar:meters, as in that field particularly there is a pressing demand for such anapparatus. It will be understood, however, that ev'itably'and inseparably associated with the I MADE.

31, 1920. Serial No; 434,199.

i template employing it li'or any and all uses to which it may be adapted.

In the drawings,- Fig. 1 is a plan iew of a portable recordlng apparatus designed for the use of meter readers, some parts being broken away to show its interior construction;

F ig. 2 is a longitudinaljvertical section on line2'2 of Fig. 1'; I

Figs. 3 and 4' are .very much enlarged fragmentary views of the uppersurface of a platen which forms a part of the appara tus,dl showing diflerent designsthat may be use i Fig. 5 is a partialvertical section on line 5--5 of Fig.3; and e V Fig. 6 is a similar View showing a modified contour of the upper surface of the platen. 1 a

d Referring to the drawings,7 indicates a case which may be similar in design to the case of an ordinary amateur photographic camera. The frontor top'of the case is provided with an opening 8, preferably rectangular in outline, over which opening extend hinged covers or doors 9, 10, adapted to be folded back to expose said opening. In Fig. 2 these doors are shown closed. Arranged centrally below the opening 8 and supported in any suitable way; as by a plate a chronometer 12 having a central arbor 3 which, instead of the usual hands, carries a circular disc or platen M, as best shown in Fig. 2; This platen is supported parallel with the upper portion of the case 7 and a short distance below it, and underlies the opening" 8. I platen is provided in any suitable way, as bynengraving, embossing, etc., with a series of straight parallel reproducible direc-.

1.1 secured tothe side walls of the case 7 is The upper surface of the.

These illustrations will serve to point out the general character of the symbols to be employed, although obviously various other designs can be used. The manner in which. these directional symbols indicate the time: when entries'are made will be explained; later.

Arranged above the platen 1d and be tween it and the end surface of the case a guide plate 15, the endsol? which are curved inwardly as shown in Fig. 2, and the. central portion of which is cut away tolorin an opening 16 as also shown .in Fig. 2. Preferably this opening is in the main circular in outline, and is slightly less in diameter than the platen 1-l-, as indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 1. 17, 18 indicate two reels which are mounted in the ciul portions of the case 7, as shown in ll 2, and are arranged to be rotated by cranks 19, 20 respectively. The specific manner in. which these reels are mounted is immaterial, all that is necessary is that they be capable of being rotated freely, and pret erably in either direction. 21 indicates a. web of paper adapted to be wound upon the reels 17, 18, and of suitable width to ere tend across the pening 16 in the guideplate 15. The leading end of a web roll is mounted upon one ot. the reels, as 18, and is threaded over the plate 15 and attached to the opposite roll as 17, and consequently by rotating the crank 19 it may be drawn over the platen le and wound upon the roll. 17,,

or, if desired, after the web has been partly wound on the roll 17 it may be reversed and be rewound on the roll 18. It will be noted that the plate 15 serves to hold the paper normally out of contact with the platen 14-, but by pressing down on the paper, as when a writing made upon it, it will enga and bear upon the surface of the plate. Evidently, therefore, whenever the exposed portion of the paper is written upon, the pressure the pen, penci stylus or other writing instrument operating over the tigured surface of the platen will cause the written record to show a reproduction 0t the directional symbols carried by the platen. That is to say, the act of making the record entry will mark it with, what, torwant of a better term, may be said to be lines in relief, which lines will be inseparably associated with the entry. Inasmuch as the platen .is rotated by the chronometer, the angle formed by the direction symbols carried by it with. a constant base line, as for example the line of movement of the paper over the platen, is constantly changing, and by measuring such angle and comparing it with the angle formed with uch line any predetermined hour such as noon, the exact time when any entry is made can be ol'itained with a great degree 01': accuracy. By causing the platen o rotate once every twenty tour hours the line when any entry is made during that interval will be indicated, but for ordinary purposes a twelve hour period of rotation will suilice. An important advantage of the apparatus illustrated is that the time when. any entry made is properly indicated no matter where on the exposed portion ol the paper the entry is made, as the directional lines term the same angle at all parts 0t the.platen. Also it the paper be reversed and moved back instead of forward, whenever an entry made the. time will be properly shown. It is impossible, therefore, by manipulatinei the pal er to avoid recording lhc time when any entry is made.

In some. cases it is dosh-able to provide means for emphasizing the directional lines produced on the sheet, and this may be ac complished by inserting a sheet of impression paper between the upper surtace of the platen and the guide plate 15, arranged so that the under sur'liace oi? the paper roll will talze the imprint of the impression paper when a writing is made. For this purpose I prefer to provide earn-shaped clamps 22 adjacent to the ends of the guide plate 15, as shown in Fig. 2, which serve to clamp the impression paper against the under side of said plate. lVhen the impression 1 a i" used. the directional lines or symbols are reproduced on the under side of: the n: ier 525 together with the reproduction of he record entry.

The reels 17, 18 may, if desired, be made reinoralrlc. but that is not necessary as it is a simple matter to wind a roll of web on either of the reels and then thread it across the platen,'te he rewound on the other reel. i necessz L to have access to the inoi? thecase 7 to renew or remove the 3; .pc., and-tor other purposes. the back or lowei side 7" of the case is made removable. This may be accomplished in any suitable 'ay. 7. I prefer to form he case of two ll'lC-ZlllJQTH connec cd at one end by a hoot: 2 and locked together at the other end by any suitable lock. such as a padlock 24. By thi arrangement access to the interior the e so by unaul'horized parties is nfevontet.

will be appreciated from the 'loregodescription. my improved apparatus is I a simple and compact, so that it is well .dapted tor the use of meter readers, messengers, etc. and it entirely reliable, as its successful operation depends only upon the reliabilit t otlithe chronometer.

What I claim my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. The method of registering the time when record entries are made, which consists in varying the appearance oi entries made at dil'l'erent times by inseparably incorporatingthere .i h by the act of makirur such entries distinguishing characteristics indicative of the times when such entries are made and independent of the subject-matter I which to a constant base line indicates the time of such entry. I I

I 3. The method of registering the time when record entries are made which consists in incorporating in relief with an entry made on a record sheet by the act of making of such entry thereon a chronometrically controlled directional symbol, the angle of which to a constant base line indicates the time of making such entry.

4. The method of registering the time when record entries are made which consists in impressing a time indicating character on a record sheet and incorporating it in the entry by the act of making an entry thereon.

5. An apparatus for registering the time when record entries are made comprising chronometrically controlled means operated by the act of making a record on record sheet to impress on said sheet and incorporate in the record a time indicating char" acter. V

6. An apparatus for registering the time when record entries are made comprising chronometrically controlled means adapted to be associated with a record sheet and to cooperate with a record making instrument while the same is making a record on such.

sheet to integrally incorporate in the matter so recorded marks indicative of the time when such record is made. 7

7. An apparatus for registering thetime when record entries are madecomprising chronoinetricallycontrolled means adapted to be associated with a record sheet and operated by the act of making a record on such sheet to incorporate with such record directional symbols indicative of the time when such record. is made.

8. An apparatus for registering the time when record entries are made comprising a chronometrically controlled rotary platen adapted to be associated with a record sheet and operated by the act of making a record on such sheet to incorporate with such record directional symbols indicative of the time when such record is made. l

9. An apparatus for registering the time mg like angular relation to a given base line, said platen being rotatable to vary the angular relation of said markings to said base line, and means for moving the record sheet over said platen in position to bear thereupon when a-record is made on said sheet.

11. An apparatus for registering thetime when record entries are made comprising chronometrically controlled platen having directional markings thereon having like angular relation to a. given base line. d

relation of said markings to said base line, means for moving the record sheet over said platen in position to bear thereupon when a. record is made on said sheet, and an impression sheet interposed between said platen and said record sheet. 4

12. An apparatus comprising a suitable case, a chronometrically controlled platen mounted in said case. said platen having di rectional markings thereon having like angular relation to a given base line and being rotatable to vary the angular re.atio .i of said markings to said base line. and means in said case for moving a record sheet over said platen in, a constant relation to said base line. V

13. An apparatus comprising a suitable case a chronometrically controlled platen mounted in said case. said platen having directional markings thereon having like angular relation to a given base line and being rotatable to vary the angular relation of said markings to said base line, reels in said caseat opposite sides of said platen. and

moved over said platen.

HARRY L. THOMSON.

platen being rotatable to vary the angular 

